Alex Davis has organised a residential writing weekend – “Fantasy February” – at Dove Valley Centre, Nr Buxton, Derbyshire from 15 to 17 February 2013

This spring residential weekend focuses on the imaginative landscapes of fantasy, combining a range of group and individual writing activities, free writing time and much more. It is ideal for anyone wanting to break into this exciting area of fiction.

The guest author is Adrian Tchaikovsky, creator and author of the Shadows of the Apt series.

Places cost just £150, including two nights’ accommodation, meals, tea/coffee throughout, goodie bag and a host of writing activities. Full details HERE

To book your place, contact Alex Davis at alexdavisevents [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk

World Fantasy Award-nominated author Simon Kurt Unsworth will be running a short course in writing horror and SF entitled “Ghosts and other Worlds”. It will run on four consecutive Tuesdays (7:00 – 9:00pm) from 23 October 2012 at One Voice, St Leonard House, St Leonard Gate, Lancaster LA1 1NN. The programme is as follows:

• 23 October – Introductions: meeting ghosts
• 30 October – Creating characters and creatures
• 6 November – Using place and environment
• 13 November – Trying to get published

Advance booking is required, and the cost is £7.50 per session. For further details or to book a space, please contact Simon at simonkurtunsworth [at] gmail [dot] com

Allen Ashley reports that there are a couple of spaces left in his new regular weekly writing group “Ways into Writing”. The group meets at Alexandra Park Library, London N22, starting from Wednesday 19 September 2012. The group is open to everybody and will be particularly suited to beginner writers, those who enjoy writing as a hobby, as well as those who want to start getting published or be published more frequently.

The group will meet from 5.30pm till 6.30pm every Wednesday, from 19 September. Bus and tube links to the venue are good, so for more details or to register an interest, please email Allen on allenashley-writer [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk

All enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. So, don’t be shy, ask away!

BFS members Selina Lock and Jay Eales will be running a series of workshops entitled “Starting to Write Comics and Graphic Novels” for Writing School Leicester.

Course information:
“If a picture paints a thousand words, then the hybrid comics medium has the best of both worlds. Call them graphic novels, funny-books, bande dessinee or manga, we’re talking about comics.Through group discussion, we will examine the ways the medium can be used to tell stories in different genres, and some of the tricks of the trade. Students will learn the basics of comic script writing through a series of exercises, and receive feedback on their own scripts. Other topics include collaborating with artists, submitting to publishers, and alternative publishing options.”

Length: 5 sessions from 20 September 2012
When: Thursdays 7pm – 9pm
Price: £60
For booking information go HERE

No Monsters Allowed is a forthcoming anthology from Dog Horn Publishing edited by Alex Davis.

Horror is a genre overrun by its monsters – whether it be bloodsucking fiends, shuffling undead hungry for brains, feral werewolves rampaging under a full moon, or the squamous terror that Lovecraft called Cthulhu.

No Monsters Allowed is an anthology which will feature none of these things. In this collection, the editor is looking for stories focusing on the horrors that humanity can inflict upon itself. He says: “I don’t want a ghost, ghoul, gremlin or goblin in sight – this is a completely monster-free zone! I’m looking for stories of ‘human horror’, stories that zoom in on the darkness that can surround us every day, filling our newspapers, televisions and radios. Themes might include, but are not limited to: the horrors and spoils of war; human trafficking and kidnap; sweatshops, factories and corporate colonialism; political torture and incarceration; espionage and conspiracy; domestic violence; plastic surgery, S&M and self-harm; murder and cannibalism; religious fanaticism, cults and terrorism; exploitation, neglect and abuse; health and science; etc. It’s the horror in our own minds and in our own lives – whether endured or inflicted – that this anthology will explore.”

Submissions information is as follows:
1) Stories must be at least 1000 words, maximum 5000 words (query for longer).
2) Stories must be submitted as a .doc file to nomonstersallowed [at] doghornpublishing [dot] com
3) Stories must be laid out in Standard Manuscript Format – please follow the guide at http://www.shunn.net/format/story.html
4) Violence, swearing and sexual content are acceptable, PROVIDED THEY FIT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE STORY. Anything gratuitous, or featured simply for shock value, will be deemed unsuitable for publication.
5) When we say No Monsters Allowed, we mean it! Any story featuring vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, demons, trolls, orcs, etc., will be deemed unsuitable for publication. This includes imagined creatures, hallucinations, and creatures that are evil, magical or ‘monstrous’ in nature. Human characters only please!
6) We are looking for stories with a strong horror element. However we are happy to consider dark stories with a science-fiction or fantasy setting, provided they meet the criteria above.
7) Deadline for submission is 31 October 2012, or until full. Stories sent after this time will not receive a reply.
8) Please note that a reply may take 4-6 weeks. If you have not heard within this time, please query.
9) Reprints will be considered – please query with the editor at nomonstersallowed [at] doghornpublishing [dot] com. Multiple submissions will not be considered – please send in your best work!
10) Accepted authors will receive two complimentary copies of the anthology. Unfortunately we are unable to pay for stories accepted.
11) Please send any queries to Alex at nomonstersallowed [at] doghornpublishing [dot] com

Successful writer, editor and this year’s BFS Short Story Competition judge, Allen Ashley, will be running a regular weekly writing group at Alexandra Park Library, London N22 from Wednesday 19 September 2012. The group is called “Ways into Writing” and will be particularly suited to beginner writers, those who enjoy writing as a hobby, as well as those who want to start getting published or be published more frequently. The group will meet from 5.30pm till 6.30pm every Wednesday, from 19 September. For more details or to register an interest, please email Allen on allenashley-writer [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk

All enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. So, don’t be shy, ask away!

There’s now less than a week to go until Derby’s Edge-Lit festival, which runs at the superb QUAD venue on 14 July 2012. Expect a packed day with a host of workshops, panels, readings and much more for readers, writers and lovers of science-fiction, fantasy and horror. Christopher Fowler and Geoff Ryman will be the event’s special guests.

With so much going on, and so much choice to be had, tickets are fantastic value at £20 – £25 for the whole day. You can book online at the QUAD webpage  or from the QUAD Box Office at 01332 290606.

Following the launch of their first anthology, a volume of dark fiction entitled Wolf-Girls: Dark Tales of Teeth, Claws and Lycogyny (seventeen new stories of female werewolves), Hic Dragones are seeking submissions for a new anthology of short stories set in impossible spaces. Impossible Spaces … and the Things we Find There will be edited by Hannah Kate.

They state: “From the conceptual impossibilities of China Mièville’s worlds, to the illogicality of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, the retro-futurism of steampunk and the Kafka-esque repetitions and restrictions of dystopia – we love fiction set in places that could not (or should not) be. We’re looking for new and established writers to contribute dark and weird fiction for a new collection of stories set in places that bend the mind.”

They are seeking “edgy, dark and weird fiction. While setting is very important, we’re also looking for compelling characters and original plots. Any interpretation of the theme is welcome – and we have no preconceptions about what ‘place’ and ‘space’ might mean. Any genre considered: dark fantasy, urban fantasy, horror, SF, steampunk, cyberpunk, biopunk, dystopian, slipstream. We’re looking for original and fresh voices that challenge and unsettle.”

The required word count is between 3,000 and 7,000 words, and the submission deadline is Thursday 13 December 2012. Since Hic Dragones is a new press they regret they are unable to pay contributors, but one contributor copy will be supplied. Full submission guidelines can be found HERE

Eibonvale Press – publishers of horror, magic realism, slipstream and the surreal – is open for submissions for an anthology of stories connected to the railway. The book aims to gather a collection of works revolving around the railway with a modern and innovative aesthetic ranging from horror to surrealism and beyond. The anthology, entitled Rustblind and Silverbright, will be published in 2013.

More information and submission guidelines can be downloaded from the website HERE

A new magazine of speculative fiction, Plasma Frequency Magazine, is launching soon and is seeking submissions. They are looking for stories ranging from 100 words to 7,500 words (stories under 5,000 words preferred) in all aspects of speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy and horror. They state: “We don’t care much for typical clichéd plots and characters with little depth. We want a story that engages us from start to finish.”

Plasma Frequency Magazine is a paying market, paying 1 US cent per word for fiction. They are also seeking cover and interior artwork and books for review.

Full details can be found HERE